1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to point-of-sale (POS) transaction terminals and, more specifically, to stand-alone POS transaction terminals which are configured for carrying out the steps of an entire transaction without being coupled to other devices or systems. Even more specifically, this invention relates to POS transaction terminals specially configured for facilitating transactions using an Electronic Purse type of smart card carried by a customer and requiring, among other things, keyboard actions by both the customer and the clerk or merchant to complete the steps of the transaction.
2. Related Prior Art
The following U.S. patents disclose POS transaction terminals which are adapted for use by a sales clerk in carrying out credit and debit transactions using plastic cards with magnetic data stripes thereon:
Chang et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,420 PA1 Anglin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,576
These patents are exemplary of the genre of transaction terminals in which all data entry and card swipe operations are intended to be carried out by the sales clerk or merchant at the point-of-sale, after the customer has handed the clerk a credit or debit card.
Other commercial POS transaction terminals have been developed for operation by the cardholding customer. In such terminals the card swipe and the selection of transaction functions and entry of data such as PIN code number are all intended to be carried out by the customer. Examples of such terminals are the Pinstripe terminals marketed by VeriFone Inc. of Redwood City, Calif.
Co-pending and commonly assigned Meyer et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/419,676 discloses a portable transaction terminal having a single keyboard and display and intended for shared transaction data entry by the clerk or waiter and the customer. The waiter enters the transaction amount via the keyboard and then the customer does the card swipe and the entry of other transaction data following steps of an interactive menu provided on the display device.
The following design patents show various configurations of POS terminals of the single keyboard and display type: D364391, D367,044, and D372,730.
Roberts et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,184, entitled: "METHOD & APPARATUS FOR ELECTRONIC CASH TRANSACTIONS" discloses a transaction terminal which is specifically designed for participating in an Electronic Purse type of POS transaction, but one in which the transaction data is entered on a separate POS device and communicated to the terminal for display to the customer. The terminal of the Roberts et al. '184 patent has only a display and a card reader/writer with insert slot, and related electronics, and is intended for use in transactions in which PIN entry is not required and in which the act of card insertion into the device is the customers acceptance of the transaction amount and approval for debiting that amount to the stored cash value in the Electronic Purse.